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Modern gamer curses own hundreds or thousands of games, yet still can’t find what you really want to play. With countless platforms, constant digital sales and around 19,000 new titles released in 2024 alone, even the most discriminatory players can help them find hidden gems.
Journalist Andy Robertson created Ludchen with the aim of recommending lesser known titles. “There are better ways to connect people to the game, not just what popular or algorithms offer,” he says. “We can get a really good game in front of people and surprise them.”
As the creator of the Family Gaming database, as a recommendation website that helps parents find the right game for their children, Robertson already had a bank of titles that could form the app’s skeleton. All he needed was a more eye-catching format, a growing list of titles he would offer to people of all ages and preferences.
The game is gradually added to the database by a team of five independent people behind the project, but the format is courtesy of the deck builder. This name is an Anthropocene drama, the current era of human-controlled history. Below is the era of plays.
All Ludocene games are presented on virtual cards. On the one hand, there is the game’s name and gameplay footage. Meanwhile, a short summary and information on its genre, platform and availability. Adding cards from games you enjoyed before to your collection, Ludocene introduces streams of similar titles that you might enjoy based on characteristics such as adventure games, e.g., or Pixel Art.
As someone who is probably already spending time searching for the next best game, I was pleasantly surprised to find a prototype app that recommends games that have completely passed by. One test provided a series of turn-based tactical games that I like to play and I came across Howl, a medieval puzzle game that I love to play and that I love. In another case, I gave the app a very miscellaneous selection of my favorites, including Rimworld, Age of Empire, The Witcher 3, Baratoro and more. Suffice it to say that the neon-covered roguelike cobalt core is on my radar.
The ace in Ludocheng’s hands has been added to help curate your match with paid experts such as journalists, streamers and podcasters. There are also cards that you can add to your deck based on background and interest, and doing so refines the recommendations you get even more. As they add to their favorites over time, those games will also start to appear in your feed. “The best way to find a match is through others,” says Robertson. “The idea is that there are plenty of experts, so the majority of future sites will discover and make you likable to the people you like.”
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Importantly, Ludocene is designed as a free, ad-free app. Funded by the ongoing Kickstarter campaign, it will be launched six months after funding as a browser app with a dedicated mobile version to follow later. “Being free is very important,” says Robertson. Both are about keeping the interface as clean as possible and encouraging a wide audience. “It’s designed to have no barriers. It’s not that, even if it’s a lot of jargon.”
ludocene.com
